corpsband

Close up of the crown uni for this year (from final pre-show run)

Sorry no cadets pix. Quick comments on what I did see: Colts: I "got" the show -- maybe it's *too* obvious thematically. Glassmen: I think I *will* get this show later but it's much easier to enjoy already. Boston: While I like the concept, it still seems very very similar to recent Boston shows. Crown: (bias warning: my kid is in their guard) they have *so far* to go with this show. imho a much more difficult show than they've ever attempted. walking in parking lot heard a cadets fan(atic) (maybe in their 60's or so / strong n jersey accent -- what many unkindly might call a Borg...) say " Crown's designer must have been on drugs -- that GREEN. Whew! ) and had to laugh: she has no idea that the designers got her exactly where they wanted to : in a surreal, fairy tale kind of place. Cadets: will see tomorrow. People I trust told me: Visually cleaner than Crown but not nearly the "new exploration" of WSS they were hoping for so the score is no surprise. Despite my kid I'm a fan of the Cadets and had (still have) high hopes for this show. I will write a better review after Annapolis (but of course you'll all be watching on the FN so I guess there's no need !!) ---- mike

(Yeah that's my girl center of the photo "gettin' it" in her first DCI show as a performer! )

Yes plumes are on the side.

I think there are actually 11 different guard uniforms this season at crown ! The pix showed 1. ---- mike

Try This One ---- mike

I'll play.... 1,2 Cadets,Crown toss up 3. BD 4. Cavies 5. SCV 6. Phantom 7. Bluecoats 8. Blue Knights 9. Glassmen 10. Crossmen 11. Blue Stars 12. Boston ---- mike

You and your corps didn't march, play and spin? If they were no longer marching , playing or spinning I'd understand that. I rolled my eyes at Yowza too. But so what. Could they still play their butts off while marching and spinning? Absolutlely. Did it ruin my enjoyment of the activity? No -- just didnt like the show much. But positing that hearing a synth part is going to RUIN the activity is essentially deciding in advance to be offended on principle not be being offended in experience. It's just not a very big part of the overall picture. When a soloist FRAKS a note are you so offended you stop going to shows? After all that one single note probably RUINED the entire show like fingernails on a chalkboard. Silly. Pretty much the same argument. People did insane things in the pit to try to reproduce colors they can now get from a keyboard. The intent both time is get the color (maybe an eerie PAD sound). Now they get a high quality reliable PAD sound instead of whatever the bowed keyboard would produce. It's NOT substantially different and is probably BETTER. And this is the ONE THING that destroys the activity. Ooooookkkkkk. ---- mike

Me too -- to another game right? But if you could only get to see pro football 2 or 3 times a season you'd probably watch just because you like pro football. Even IF it's the pathetic iggles playing. Of course if it's the RAT BIRDS I'd learn to not like pro football. ---- mike go steelers!

NOT talking about the kids hard work and experience, AM talking about what it IS they (the fans) are watching. My point is that what they're watching has *not* changed substantially. It's still about kids marching, playing, and spinning on a football field. THAT"S what the product is. It's not the video and it's not the recording, it's not the instruments or show design, not the musical choices or the instrument keys (all these things *do* affect how *much* I enjoy a particular show to a certain degree). It's kids running their ##### off on the field playing music and spinning flags and weapons. Newsflash : THAT STILL GOES ON !!! People who say it's no longer X, Y or Z and define the activity in those terms instead of what the essence of the activity is are just being dishonest. Because that's what it was, is and will continue to be. The essence of the activity *hasn't* changed. AND I gave you a good test: go watch the kids out of uniform at a practice. See if what *they* are doing is what *you* were doing when you marched. Yeah....I thought so. ---- mike ps full disclosure: i *like* acoustic-only. it's awesome. not a huge fan of electronics in general. but it would be dishonest of me to say "it's ruined drum corps" 'cause what i like IS STILL THERE !! having a brass line rip my face off still happens (already did once this year !!) seeing a rifle line NAIL an ensemble 6 and you hear the strap snap in the silence. freakin' awesome. sorry all that stuff is STILL THERE even if there's strings under a pit feature.

uggh no. im saying that if you enjoy most aspects of a performance, set aside the part you don't like (just like the brussel sprouts!)

NOT what I said! I am not pulling out the 'its all about the kids' card. I'm saying if you go watch them up close and out of uniform, they are doing the same thing kids in drum corps have always done: marching, playing, and spinning their butts off all summer long. All the other "stuff" is really peripheral to what makes drum corps drum corps. Go watch kids at a practice -- you'll see. ---- mike

No. OTOH if there a lot of things you DO like still worth paying for you should still buy a ticket! ---- mike

No but if you expect them you won't be shocked and angry when you see they're on your plate. Doesn't mean the meal is worthless --- put the brussel sprouts aside and enjoy the roast beef and mashed potatoes! ---- mike

I contend that if they look closely enough they will see it hasnt passed them by; although the end-product continues to change, the core of the activity has not. Don't judge it by the performance but by the performers. Go watch a corps practice and I think you''ll see all the things that REALLY mattered to you remain the same. Sure the music and drill and instrumentation have changed. BUT the fundamentals (kids marching and playing on a football field pushing themselves to their limits) have not. Go LOOK THEM IN THE FACE when they're working their butts off at rehearsal. Go sit with them at the food truck. You will see yourself and the activity you grew up with looking right back at you. ---- mike

Tim The Tool Man has spoken !! Seriously I don't think you've been near a drum corps in decades. I'll agree with the recommendation of Bawker -- go break the ranks of the Cavies or Scouts or Devs and tell them they're a bunch effeminate wussies while you're at it. The intensity and aggression of in-your-face moments are still there (much more intense in my opinion); fortunately corps today are capable of expressing a much wider of range emotion (both musically and visually) than Battle Hymn and National Emblem! ---- mike

THIS! Why can't people just accept that -- like it or not -- things will continue to change. Just as they always have. Embrace the change instead of refusing to change your expectations and (gasp!) being upset when you don't hear what you expect ! Shows are a LOT more fun that way. ---- mike

Did they tell him to lose weight because "you're too large" or because "you're not physically fit enough"? I've seen "big" kids who can march/dance and play/spin just as well other kids in their corps. As I said in my original post -- fitness matters. If you're just saying that chops are not enough to get you a spot, I agree 100%. ---- mike

Actually I'd have to disagree with that. There are still a *wide* variety of body types in corps. Go to rehearsals early season and watch the kids in shorts and tees What's changed is (a) the uniform designs are WAY better at making people look identical (b) the physical demands placed on performers. Regardless of body-type marching performers today are athletes and by the end-of-the-season they look a LOT different from the start of the season. But saying kids are "excluded" by body-type is just not true. Physical fitness -- yes. Body-type -- no. ---- mike

Spartacus Effect: IMHO it was not the design or murders or dark stuff. The powerful effect of that show came directly from the performers connecting emotionally through the written book directly with the audience and the ensuing feedback loop of madness that ensued. That's why people say it was special. When you go back and watch that show on video with no sound there's nothing out-of-the-ordinary about it at all. It was all about the performers 'buying in' emotionally; they literally TOOK the audience with them on the journey through the show. Of course the designers had to build the vehicle to make that journey and the instructional staff had to teach them to use it (and convince them to buy-in as they did). But I don't think that magic is something anyone writes or teaches or inspires. It just happens and whether you're a performer, judge, spectator or staff -- it really is magic. Judges influencing design? Umm....the judges do NOT write the book and only influence to the extent of commenting how the performance and written book meets (or does not meet) the criteria. Do the criteria influence design? Absolutely. That does NOT mean that design is driven by the green shirts. Critique: giving some people the chance to explain what the h*$@ they meant on a tape is priceless. Face to face communication is much more effective than numbers + a few words + a tape that may or may not need further explanation. ---- mike

yeah really. it is just very bad netiquette. you obviously have never visited digg....

Do you really think multiple-click thru's encourage people to explore the rest of DCP? I understand your intent but did you never notice people posting the "real" link one or two messages down in virtually every post by the bot? Clearly your intent and end-users perceptions are misaligned; bumping hits on the DCP front page by linking to empty content (which just links to yet another page) is NOT going to get anyone to "use" the other parts of DCP. It may drive the stats up but it's just going to annoy end-users (which is ALWAYS a bad thing).